Certain embodiments relate to articles for delivering viscous fluids, and more particularly to wiping articles or applicators configured to be loaded with a highly viscous fluid and to release a high percentage of the fluid during use.
A wide variety of articles exist today for delivering certain types of fluids to a target surface, such as for cleaning or treating human or animal skin, hard surfaces (e.g., wood, metal, glass, plastic, floors, kitchen counter tops or automobiles) and the like. Conventional delivery articles comprise one or more layers of woven or non-woven fiber (natural or synthetic) that is saturated with a cleansing or treatment fluid. Typically, delivery articles having a fibrous core have been desirable because they have a high percentage wet weight to dry weight, which means the article will hold a large volume of fluid by weight relative to the dry weight of the article. The fluids chosen for use in such conventional delivery articles should exhibit a high release percentage. In order for a fluid to offer a high release percentage from a fibrous core, the fluid should have very low viscosity. For example, water has a viscosity of 1 centipoise (Cp). Fluids that are utilized with delivery articles having fibrous cores typically comprise a large percentage of water, thereby affording low viscosities (e.g., less than 15 cp).
Heretofore, delivery articles have experienced limitations in terms of the type of fluids that may be used therewith. More specifically, delivery articles that utilize a fibrous core as the storage layer retain an excessively high percentage of fluids when used with fluids having high viscosity because the fibrous cores exhibit a low percentage release for highly viscous fluids. Thus, when conventional fibrous delivery articles are saturated with a highly viscous fluid, a smaller than desired percentage of the fluid is released during use. The remaining fluid is bound or trapped within the fibers of the article and is never released, thereby creating inefficiency, waste and increased cost.
A need remains for improved storage and delivery articles for use with highly viscous fluids that afford high release percentages and uniform, even distribution over a target surface.